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Though barbecuing and baking apple pie are among America's favorite pastimes, shopping for the necessary ingredients can be a cumbersome chore. With this in mind, brothers Andrew and Thomas Parkinson founded Peapod based on the idea that people's time is precious. Their website allows online shoppers to browse thousands of grocery and household items and have them delivered or prepared for pick-up at the touch of a button, with added conveniences such as saved shopping lists and filters that highlight products with specific nutritional information. Shoppers can control the quality of their orders by requesting that Peapod's personal shoppers select yellow or green bananas, or deli meat that's sliced thick, or thin. Market-specific offerings ensure that buyers from New York to Chicago can also find signature, hometown foods.
But the brothers are anything but complacent about the Skokie, Illinois–based company's growing success, which has been documented by such media outlets as the New York Times. Thomas Parkinson demonstrated one of Peapod's latest innovations in a Fox Business report with Jeff Flock—virtual grocery-store aisles on commuter-train platforms, which allow customers to use their smartphone to easily pick out items for next-day delivery. Chicago Tribune reporter Mary Ellen Podmolik recently documented another innovation: pickup sites where customers can retrieve their previously ordered groceries without leaving their vehicle.

Board-certified chiropractic physician Dr. Naveed Elahi takes a multidisciplinary approach to pain relief, disease prevention, and whole-body health at Health First Wellness Center. The practice specializes in chiropractic medicine, a science that aims to alleviate such common conditions as headaches and neck pain without the use of drugs, surgery, or noogies. In cases where traditional chiropractic medicine does not apply, the doctor rounds out the treatment menu with acupuncture and clinical massage therapy, two ancient modalities that can reduce anxiety and improve sleep. Furthermore, personal training and nutrition counseling help patients ward off the specter of disease in a more reliable manner than hanging garlic cloves on their treadmills. In addition to MedSpa services including laser hair removal and VelaShape body smoothing and contouring, Health First Wellness Center also offers yoga, Zumba, and Pilates classes.

So established is Circle K Midwest that even brand-new vehicles recognize what its red-and-white logo stands for—fuel, snacks, and everything else a car might need to keep powering down the road with its driver. Circle K's story starts back in 1951, when Fred Hervey bought three Kay's Food Stores in El Paso, Texas. Under his guidance, these three little shops grew into the more than 3,000 convenience stores that crouch on our nation's street corners today.
After rolling up to a Circle K, drivers can pump their faithful roadsters full of high-octane fuel and send them skipping through a car wash to experience the cleansing touch of Blue Coral Beyond Green and Rain-X products. Then it's time to step inside the air-conditioned shop for a peek at the provisions. Rows of sodas hibernate behind glass doors, and snacks, candy, and their ATM guardians stand boldly out in the open. Some Circle Ks also offer the Take Away Fresh Café, which presents an appetizing lineup of healthy road fare including sandwiches, fruit cups, and fresh-cut vegetables. Drivers can gear up for a long drive with premium coffees or enjoy a cold Polar Pop, whose specially formulated cup keeps drinks colder thanks to the family of tiny snowmen trapped in its foam walls.

Fresh Farms International Market showers its shoppers in grocered greatness, including organic produce, fresh meats and seafood, imported cheeses, and international breads. Tread toward the counter of fresh-caught seafood and reel in one of the market’s aquatic edibles, such as wild octopus ($2.99/lb.), fresh flounder fillets ($9.99/lb.), or live lobster ($7.99/lb.). Protein pilgrims can set sail for the meat department, which can help them build a new society based on hand-cut steaks, smoked ham shank ($1.49/lb.), and young duckling ($2.49/lb.). Cheerful cheesemongers cater to customers’ fancies for foreign fromage, including selections from cheese-making nations such as Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, and Russia. Sink lactose-longing teeth into a Bulgarian feta ($2.99/lb.) or a block of Mountain Brand Swiss cheese ($3.99/lb.) whose neutrality is betrayed by its clear preference for deliciousness. The market’s fresh produce includes California broccoli ($0.79/lb.) and Wisconsin dry yellow onions ($0.19/lb.), and its bustling bakery churns out French baguettes and Italian ciabatta rolls ready to be transformed into sandwiches or whittled into Earl of Sandwich action figures.

Our mission is to be the fines ethnic grocery store in the hearts and minds of our clients, employees,
distributions and neighbors. We always try to surpass our clients expectations !
As a result in our stores you will find items not found in other stores.

Adi Mor opened the first Garden Fresh Market in 1980, selling fresh produce from a 1,000-square-foot lot in Skokie, which he would stock by taking 2 a.m. trips to Chicago's South Water market. Today, Garden Fresh Market sprawls over six suburban locations, where fresh produce from apples to zucchinis is still procured daily.
Grocery items range from fresh meat from Midwest famers to a wide selection of ethnic foods and national brands. The deli slices meats and cheeses both domestic and imported, and house-made seasonal salads and main courses make bringing dinner home easier than stealing it from a neighbor's windowsill. Many of the market's online recipes have even made it onto NBC5, giving its cooks their share of 15 minutes of fame.

Wagstaff found the mayor at Eataly before the official opening.
Mayor Emanuel just bought tonight's dinner at #eatalychicago pescheria! @ Eataly http://t.co/qLk5vrQDQs
— Wagstaff Chicago (@wagstaffchicago) December 2, 2013
And Michael Nagrant keenly noted that Emanuel might be there to purchase one of his trademark menacing dead fishes.
@wagstaffchicago Tonight's dinner or a message to a detractor? — Michael Nagrant (@MichaelNagrant) December 2, 2013
And nobody should get between Grid and Nutella.
Current office debate over when to line up for @Eataly's Nutella bar. These pictures suggest now: http://t.co/aemVNki3gM — Grid Chicago (@Grid_Chicago) December 2, 2013
Or Time Out Chicago. Just don’t stand near the Nutella counter, basically.
Dear @Eataly, You had us at Nutella counter: http://t.co/aLR2JcWUxe Sincerely, The people of Chicago — Time Out Chicago (@TimeOutChicago) November 27, 2013
Ever-logical Crain’s thinks about the big picture. Also the Nutella counter.
Chicago's @Eataly will be roughly the size of 5 Trader Joe's — including 8 restaurants, a brewery and Nutella station http://t.co/lQTTXnbbRT — Crain's Chicago (@CrainsChicago) October 15, 2013
John N. is willing to play devil’s advocate on this whole “Eataly” thing.
John N.'s Review of Eataly Chicago - Chicago (2/5) on Yelp - http://t.co/gQUh6hRYmv — Chicago Yelp Reviews (@yelp_chicago) December 2, 2013
But most people are expecting the best.
Ima punch somebody's throat if Eataly isn't up to all the hype. — Harriet Thugman (@ChellzIsWinning) December 2, 2013
And they don’t seem too disappointed.
I can drink wine while I shop. I can drink wine while I shop. I can drink wine while I shop. I can drink wine while I shop. #eataly #heaven — Erica Lockerbie (@eLockerbie) December 2, 2013
Even Brian Boitano congratulated Eataly.
Congrats @Eataly, on your Grand Opening today! #eatalychicago http://t.co/taZLvubdvu
— Brian Boitano (@BrianBoitano) December 2, 2013
Photo credit: Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, Groupon | Explore more Chicago Italian restaurants